


Blue

by TheTravelerWrites



Series: Monster Lovers: Hidden Creatures [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Agender, Anxiety, Blood, Demon, Demon Boyfriend, Demonic Possession, Demons, Depression, Doctors, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Headaches, Hospitals, Human/Monster Romance, Monster Lover, Mute Monster, Object possession, Reader Insert, Reader-Insert, Reader/Demon - Freeform, Reader/Monster - Freeform, Sign Language, Surgery, Terato, Teratophilia, demon friend, demon girlfriend, gender neutral protagonist, gender neutral reader, human/demon, migraines, mute character, terato tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-05-16 22:39:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14820257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTravelerWrites/pseuds/TheTravelerWrites
Summary: My very first original terato fic, inspired by some of my own experiences including a stuff animal I owned named Blue (but sans the demon friend, unfortunately). I purposefully made both characters gender neutral, so that everyone could enjoy it. Completely SFW.Triggers may include hospitals, doctors, surgery, blood, depression, anxiety, and mention of intruders/stalkers.





	1. Chapter 1

From very early childhood, you were in the hospital all the time. It was awful. It helped that the doctors and nurses were kind and understanding, and your mother and grandmother never left your side, but it was still a nightmare. The pain and terror was so hard to deal with, especially in the places where your mom and grandma couldn’t follow, like pre-op or hydrotherapy.

One day, when you were about four, your grandmother gave you a special gift. It was a stuffed bunny, turquoise in color with black button eyes, holding a tiny bouquet of pinkish cloth roses. It was hypo-allergenic and easy to clean, and considering how much blood escaped your body on a regular basis, that was a necessity for just about everything you owned. Gramma said it would protect you in the places where she and your mom couldn’t go. All you had to do was hug it tight, and it would take care of you. You were four, so you naturally accepted this with no question.

Having it with you did make you feel better. The hospital staff was accommodating; they’d only take it away during surgery after you were already asleep, and give it back once the surgery was over. You felt safer when you had it and it helped you face the fear. You called it Blue.

Sometimes, on nights when you stayed in the hospital alone, you could have sworn you felt a gentle hand stroking your hair as you lay in your bed. When you looked up, no one was there.

As you got older, the trips to the hospital became less frequent, but they were no less terrifying. Being in school made it doubly hard, since you had visible scars from your treatments and kids could be cruel. You often found yourself taking Blue to school with you, just for the extra support.

Once you reached your teens, you started to get rid of your old toys periodically, but Blue seemed to survive each purge. You just couldn’t bring yourself to get rid of it. At the end of your teens, Blue was the only artifact from your traumatic childhood that you held onto.

By the time your reached college, the visits to the hospitals had stopped altogether, although you still had to see a doctor regularly, and Blue had come with you to your dorm. It sat on your desk and watched you write your dissertations and thesis papers. It kept you company when you crammed for finals.

Sometimes, when you crashed at your desk, you woke up with a blanket on your back and a pillow under your face. You thought perhaps your dorm mate had done it, but they weren’t that considerate.

You graduated with a masters in psychology and education, as well as an interpretation certificate, learning sign language so that you could teach it to newly disabled kids and their families. It was a good job, a necessary one, and it let you help other people, which is something you had always wanted to do and you really enjoyed doing it.

Your grown-up life was fulfilling professionally, but you couldn’t deny you were lonely. Your mother and grandmother had died some years before, and you didn’t really see eye to eye with your dad, so you didn’t speak to him often. You got along way better with kids than with adults, since they were much easier to talk to. It didn’t help that your experiences growing up made you painfully shy and you didn’t like to go out that much.

It wasn’t so bad for the most part. The only time it really got to you was the day the person you had a crush on at work got engaged after you had spent weeks building up the courage to just talk to them. You came home that night and couldn’t help feeling sad about it. You weren’t angry at anyone in particular, just really lonely. You went to bed early and for the first time in a long time, you took Blue down from its place on the shelf above your bed and snuggled it close, crying yourself to sleep.

You woke in the morning feeling much better. You stretched and yawned, and then realized you weren’t holding Blue anymore. You sat up and saw a horrifying sight.

Blue was ripped into a hundred pieces, it’s stuffing strewn about the room. The only thing that remained intact was the tiny bouquet of roses.

“No!” You cried in dismay, picking up the fragments of your friend. They were way too small to stitch back together. Tears stung your eyes as you gathered up the bits and pieces of Blue and clutched them to your chest. You went to the kitchen to find a bag to put the bits in and stopped in your tracks when you passed the bar.

There, in your only nice vase, was a huge bouquet of roses, pink at the bottom of the petals and fading into white toward the top. Just like the little cloth flowers that Blue held. You took one from the vase and held it to your nose, inhaling an aroma that took you back to your childhood, reminding you of your grandmother’s home.

“What?” You asked yourself, replacing the rose in the vase. You went to the door and windows, checking to see if they were all still locked, and they were.

Suddenly there was a breeze on your neck, and you turned sharply with a gasp, clutching your throat, only to find nothing there.

You found a bag in which to put the eviscerated remains of Blue and put it in the bottom drawer of your desk, unable to part with it yet. Staring at the roses, you took out your phone.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“Hi, yes, I’d like to report a break-in,” You said into the receiver.

The officer that responded was bemused to learn that nothing was taken, but that the supposed burglar had instead left something behind. He thought you might be dealing with a stalker and advised you to change your locks. Taking this to heart, you called into work for the first time since you started and then went out to purchase a new doorknob and deadbolt. You also bought a slide-lock and an aluminum bat to keep by your bed while you were at it.

Upon arriving back home, you immediately noticed that the vase with the roses was gone, and in its place was a plain while envelope.

You put down the bag of new locks and slowly approached the bar. With a shaking hand, you carefully take the envelope and open it, finding a letter inside written on your own stationary. The handwriting was neat, if blocky. 

_Brave One,_

_I worry that I may have startled you by leaving the roses this morning, which was not my intention. I sought only to comfort you. You seemed much distressed last evening when you came home, and for the first time, I did not know why. I was anxious to help in some way and I see now that my actions may have been ill-advised._

_Before, when you cried, the reasons were obvious; pain, fear, stress, the cruelty of others. You had never been shy of talking to me about it when you were smaller. But last night, you held me and said not a word, and I did not understand._

_You may not believe this, but I have been with you since you were very small, watching over you. A gift, you might say, from a loved one. You and I spent countless hours together, and I was content to be your companion for as long as you needed me. As you grew, you came to rely on me less, and I was pleased that your strength and spirit was returning, even if it meant I was no longer necessary. I was happy that you kept me at all, when you could have tossed me away at any time._

_My entire purpose for existing in this plane is to soothe your woes and comfort you. Once you became an adult, I knew that my time of doing so was over. I had given up hope of ever being of any help to you and was glad to simply be here within easy reach should a day come when I was useful again. But last night, I could sense how much pain you were in when you held me and I was desperate to alleviate it. I hope I did not overstep so severely that you cannot forgive me. And if I have, I am terribly sorry._

_If you truly have no further use for me and are uncomfortable with my presence, you need only say and I will leave you in peace. I hope, however, I have not damaged your trust in me beyond repair. If there is any small chance that I can redeem myself, I am happy to do so, unconditionally._

_Your faithful companion,_

_Blue_

“Blue?” you repeated softly. You looked up, expecting to see someone standing in front of you, but your apartment was empty. You went quickly to your desk and fished out the bag with Blue’s remains. Nope, still there.

You went back to the bar in the kitchen and sat at the stool, reading and re-reading the letter. Finally, you folded it, put it to the side, and took a deep breath.

“The roses were sweet,” You said out loud, feeling rather silly. “I’m sorry I freaked out.”

You were greeted with silence. You looked around quickly and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

You cleared your throat, bit your lip, and said, “Are you here?”

There was a rustling sound from behind you, but when you turned to look, the curtains were still.

“Are you afraid to reveal yourself?” You asked. “Do you think I’ll be scared of you?”

Another flutter over your shoulder. Again, there was nothing to see.

“If you don’t want to come out, will you at least talk to me?” You urged. “To be honest, the only people I’ve really talked to lately are small children. I’d welcome an actual conversation.”

Nothing. You could feel yourself becoming frustrated.

“Look,” You said, your voice a little on edge. “You said you wanted to be my companion, right? How can you do that if you won’t interact with me? If you won’t come out, talk to me. If you won’t talk to me, come out. Pick one or the other.”

The door to your bedroom opened of it’s own accord, making you jump. It slowly swung inward and stayed that way. Nothing came out of the room, though, so you realized it was trying to get you to go in.

Worrying this might be a ploy to lure you to your death, you carefully slipped off the stool and slowly made your way into the bedroom. It was dark; you had light canceling curtains up over the windows so that you could sleep late on the weekends.

There, on the other side of the bed, you saw something crouched and eerily still, watching you. With your heart in your throat, you reached back and flipped the lightswitch.

As soon as the light flooded the room, they ducked down so that only the top of their head was visible. You could see two pairs of small, solid black eyes peering at you curiously. Their skin was a turquoise color, just as Blue had been, and it looked shiny and dry, like a gemstone. Their hair was long and pink at the roots which faded to white the farther it went down, just like the petals of the roses.

You stared at them, and they stared at you. Despite the fact that your spine felt like jelly, you took a step forward. They ducked down completely, so that you could no longer see them.

“Wait,” you said, circling the bed only to find the thing gone. When you looked up, they were on the other side, peering at you. They placed their hands on the side of the bed, and you saw that they had five fingers on each, like normal, but that each finger was at least two handspans long, thin and black at the tips and ending in curved claws. Two pairs of hands gripped the comforter, the top pair larger than the bottom one.

You took a step toward them, and they ducked down quickly again.

“Wait!” You called, and the top of their head reappeared, their top two eyes staring at you.

“Well, you’re a skittish fellow, aren’t you?” You asked. You knelt down so that the bed separated the two of you, and rested your hands on the side, mirroring the creature. They seemed to relax a little.

“Do you know my name?” You asked.

They nodded.

“Can you talk?”

They shook their head.

“Why?”

They rose up slightly so you could see the rest of their face. It was a normal shape except that it was a completely flat surface, with no nose or mouth. They did, however, have two sets of ears on either side of their head.

“Okay,” You said. “You write, though. At least we can communicate that way.”

They rose up slightly and used their top pair of hands to say, _I sign_.

“Really?” You said, smiling brightly at them.

_Yes_ , they replied, seeming to be a little startled by your reaction. _I learned as you did, when you were in college. You practiced in your dorm, and I watched you._

“Wow,” I said. “Quick study.” You very slowly get to your feet. They watch you curiously, preparing to disappear from sight again. You held up your hands to stop them. “Look, it’s a little silly to conduct a conversation with a bed between us. I’m going to come around, okay? Don’t be scared.”

It took a few seconds, but they nodded their head, and you went around the bed to join them. You were finally able to see their body in its entirety. It was the same blue color as their face, except for the black tips of their double jointed feet, which were more like paws, and their skinny tail. They were unnaturally thin and extremely long. You knew if they stood, their head would touch the ceiling. Their hair was well past their waist and seemed capable of independent movement. They crouched nervously, using their bottom pair of hands to fidget with their tail.

You sat down slowly nearby with your legs crossed. They mimicked your posture, falling out of their crouched position and grabbing their ankles with their lower pair of hands. This close, you could see the shiny quality of their skin was actually very fine, pale fur all over their body. It looked soft to the touch.

“So,” You began, and they tilted their head at you. “What are you?”

Using their top pair of hands, they curled their thumb and two front fingers at their temple twice. The bottom right hand spelled out the word that the top pair were signing. _Demon._

“You’re a demon?” You replied. They nodded. “Are you evil?”

They lowered their eyes, as though thinking.

_I don’t think so, but how does one tell?_ They sign back.

Good question. “You were in my stuffed bunny?”

They nodded. _Your grandmother summoned into the toy me when you very little_ , They signed. _She wanted to ease your pain. She thought I could help._

“Help how?”

_She wanted it make it so that you were never alone._

“Yeah, that was Gramma,” You said, chuckling. “So, are you bound to me? Is that why you’re here?”

They hesitated, but nodded.

“Can I release you? How do I do that?”

_You simply tell me to go._

“That’s it?”

They nod again. _If that is what you wish._

“Do you want to leave?”

_I want what you want._

“That’s not an answer,” I said sardonically.

_It is the only answer I can give._

“Hmm,” You responded.

_May I ask you something?_

“Sure.”

_Why were you crying last night?_

You sighed and rolled your eyes. “It’s stupid.”

_Surely not._

“No, it is,” You replied, holding yourself. “A person I liked at work got engaged to be married. We all thought that they were single, and I was working up the courage to talk to them, so the sudden engagement was a shock.”

_Did you feel betrayed?_

“No, there was no reason. They didn’t know I liked them, and even if they did, they were under no obligation to like me back. I was… disappointed, I guess. Maybe if I had had a friend to talk to about it, it wouldn’t have been so devastating.”

_I was there._

“Yeah, but I didn’t know you were there,” You said.

Their ears drooped a little. _You are right. To be perfectly candid with you, I have wanted to talk to you in this way for many years._ They spread their arms wide, looking down at themself. _I was worried you would be too frightened of me._

“I can see that,” You said with a conceding nod. “I guess we’re both guilty of the same thing.”

Your stomach growled and you stood. They eased carefully back into a crouching position, hesitant to stand to their full height lest they scare you.

“Do you eat?” You ask.

They shake their head. _All I need to survive is sleep._

“Well, I need to eat. I’m gonna make a sandwich. Come join me.”

They continued to hesitate. _I do not wish to frighten you._

“You don’t. You’re my best friend, aren’t you?”

They blinked all four little black eyes, and then rose slowly to their feet. They were indeed far taller than you and had to hunch to avoid hitting their head.

_Yes. If that is what you want._

You smile at them and walk them out to the kitchen.

Now that you know they’re there, they are more than happy to keep you company. Talking to them is effortless. Their advice is without fault. They do anything you ask happily. You went to sleep looking forward to seeing them the next day. They often slept on the ground nearby. You told them they could share the bed with you, but they insisted they were perfectly comfortable and didn’t want to crowd you.

You did feel bad that they were stuck with you, as drab and uninteresting as you were. You didn’t believe for a second that the only thing you had to do to break the binding was tell them to go. There had to be more to it than that. If you freed them, then staying with you would be their choice. You’d be much more comfortable with them staying with you if you knew it was what they wanted and not what they were being forced to do.

So, after work, you went to the esoteric book shop and did a little research. And what you found stunned you.

Later, you returned home with some take-out and they met you at the door with a hug.

_You’re home rather late_ , They sign when you come in, setting a place for you at the table. _Is everything alright?_

“Yep,” You reply. “Just a long line at the Chinese place.”

Despite not being able to eat, they sit with you at the table when you take your meals, scrunching up their limbs a little awkwardly.

“I did find an interesting book today,” You said.

_About what?_

“About the summoning and banishment of demons,” You said, and they flinch. “Specifically, how to break bindings.”

They shift in their seat. _And what did you learn?_

“That there is a specific subset of demons who attach themselves to children,” You say casually, picking at your fried rice. “Typically, they possess an item that the child owns, usually a toy. That most of them are harmful, but there are a few who are kind and wish to help children rather than hurt them. However, breaking the binding is the same for all of them.”

_Is that so?_

“Mm-hmm,” You said, laying down your fork and fixing them with your stare. “A drop of blood, a drop of sweat, and a single tear. That’s all it takes to break a binding.”

They stare at you, unmoving.

You sit in silence for a moment before asking, “When were you freed?”

_The day you received me._

You were shocked at their answer. “And you stayed with me all this time? Why?”

Their lower pair of arms gripped their knees as the upper pair signed, _You needed me._

You tilted your head and folded your arms across your chest, fixing them with a shrewd glare.

They lowered their eyes, which were glittering strangely. _I was lonely._

A soft smile crept onto your face and you took their chin in your hand, making them look at you.

“I’m glad you stuck with me,” You told them. “Still want to stay?”

They nodded, a black tear escaping one of their eyes.

Your smile widened, and you wrapped your arms around their neck, the soft, velvety fur of their shoulder pressed against your cheek. Both sets of their arms gripped you tightly.

“Good,” You reply. “I hate being lonely, too.”

_Then I should introduce myself properly,_ They signed when they pull away. _My name is–_

You stop them by taking their hands in yours as they begin to spell out their name.

“Doesn’t me knowing your name give me power over you?” You ask them.

They nod, confused. Another dark tear stains the fur on their face.

“Then don’t tell me,” You say, brushing the tears from their cheeks. “I’m happy to keep calling you Blue.”

You couldn’t be sure, since they had no mouth, but you thought they might be smiling.

That night, Blue finally agreed to sleep on the bed. You dozed off in the circle of their arms, happy for the first time that you could remember. You couldn’t help but notice that Blue’s hair smelled of roses.

It was nice to have a friend around.


	2. Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reader has a migraine and their live-in demon friend, Blue, helps them.

It was back when you woke up. You thought it was just a headache the day before, so you just took some over the counter meds and went to bed early. Blue was worried about you, and slept curled up next to you with their arms wrapped around you in comfort, but when you woke, you had to push them away. Everything was painful, even their very soft fur and gentle touch.

They tapped your shoulder softly, trying not to make it worse, and you opened your eyes, grateful for the light canceling curtains.

Blue was sitting crouched like a frog on the ground next to the bed, listening to you groan in pain, their brow furrowed in concern.

 _What’s wrong?_ They signed.

The sound of your own voice would have been too much, so you signed _migraine_.

_Can I help?_

_I don’t know_ , you signed.

Blue had only been with you, openly, for about six months. They had been with you since childhood, bound inside a stuff bunny, so they knew about all your medical problems, but they had never been able to directly help before other than being close by. Now that they were no longer a secret presence, they did everything they could to take care of you and ease your discomfort. They had been a wonderful friend, but sometimes they felt a little helpless.

 _What hurts?_ They asked. Since Blue didn’t have a mouth, they communicated with sign language.

_My head is pounding, my whole body is sore, my eyes are being stabbed by invisible needles, every smell makes me want to throw up, and literally everything is itchy._

Their brows turned up in horror. _I’ve never felt all those things at once._

_It’s horrible and I hate it._

_I can take all your senses away for a small amount of time_ , They offered. _Could that help?_

You lay there, seriously considering it. _Everything except touch,_ you told them. _And hold my hand, please?_

 _I can do better than that_ , They said, smiling that smile that was just their eyes. Very, very gently, they wrapped you in your blanket and pulled you into their lap, their four hands delicately arranging you in the most comfortable position.

 _Ready?_ They signed to you.

 _If I get scared, will you pull me out?_ You asked them nervously.

 _Of course,_ they signed, linking the fingers of their lower pair of hands with yours. _Squeeze hard when you’re ready to come back._

You nodded.

They gently pulled your back against their long torso, wrapping their arms around you and pressing their forehead to the top of your head.

It started slow. The pungent smells of your home, normally soothing but now overpowering, faded from your perception. Sound died away. Though your eyes were open, the light dimmed and went out. Soon, the only thing left was the feeling of their hands in your own and their arms around your body, the only anchoring point in the void.

It was like being in a sensory deprivation tank. There was nothing except their touch to grasp onto, and it was incredibly comforting and disconcerting at the same time. You relax against them, and they tightened their embrace, sensing you unwind.

You let yourself get lost in the emptiness and you felt the screws in your head loosen. The needles slowly removed themselves from the nerves in your eyes. You could feel the crawling of your skin subside. Your sore, knotted muscles began to unravel and relax. You sighed.

You didn’t know how long you were in there, but eventually you felt the pain release from your body and felt immeasurably better. You squeezed their fingers.

Instantly, you were back in your room, sitting in their grip. With the length of their body, they were able to bend their neck over your head and looked into your eyes upside down, their long, pale hair falling down and all across the floor around you.

 _Better?_ They signed.

“So much better,” You said aloud. “How long was I out?”

 _Three hours_ , They said. _Did it help?_

“So much,” You said with a relieved sigh. “Thank you. I love you.”

They did their eye-smile thing again when you pressed a kiss to the flat of their face where their mouth should have been, but wasn’t.

 _I love you, too, angel_ , They signed.


	3. The Dry Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue is anxious about going out among people openly for the first time, so their partner suggests a trial to help them feel less nervous: a petting zoo.

_But what if they don’t like me?_

You sighed at Blue in exasperation. You were trying to convince them to come with you to one of your classes. Your young students often dealt with feelings of being different in a world that didn’t understand them, and you knew Blue understood that feeling very well.

“You’re blue and fuzzy, hon, they’ll love you. You’re like a giant teddy bear.”

_What if they’re frightened? I’m a demon, a creature, a… a thing. Won’t they be scared of me?_

“Of course not. You haven’t been out in hundreds of years, Blue. The world is a different place now. All kinds of creatures walk among humans these days. You’re not the only non-human out there. A handful of my kids are half-human. Orcs, werewolves, dragons, nagas, even other demons. Hell, my boss’s assistant is an incubus, for fuck’s sake. Openly! Like everyone knows he’s an incubus; he doesn’t even try to hide it. Everyone has to have a job these days, you know. And I think the kids would really like you.”

They were sitting scrunched up on the bed, twisting their tail in their lower pair of hands and looked down at themselves. _But… I’m naked._

You folded your arms and smirked at them. “Now your grasping at straws, Blue,” You said. You turned and looked into your closet. “But if it’ll make you feel better…” You riffled through the rack with your lips pursed. “Hmm…you’re too tall for most of my clothes…” You said. “Oh, here we go.” You pulled out a long, pale pink sundress with yellow flowers. “My sister left this last time she stayed over. I’ve been meaning to send it back to her, but…”

You bid Blue to stand, and they stood up straight. You’re glad you made the decision to move to an apartment with vaulted ceilings so that they could stand at their full height. Their constant crouching was painful, even for you.

You put the dress up to their long, spindly body and considered it. “I think this would look good with your coloring,” You said. “It’s supposed to be ankle length, but I think it’ll be just over your knee. Would this make you feel better?”

They shrugged noncommittally.

You sighed. “Look, why don’t we try a dry run?”

_Dry run?_

“Yeah. Just go out. Nothing big. Maybe the petting zoo.”

_Petting zoo?_

“Yeah, it’s full of cuddly animals you get to play with.”

They gave you a flat expression. _I know what a petting zoo is, my love._

You laughed. “I take my class there all the time. It’s great for trauma relief. The proprietor is a friend of mine, I can get her to let us in on the weekend.”

_What purpose would that serve?_

“You can play with the animals. Animals are a great judge of character. If they’re not scared of you, then the kids, who are old enough to be reasoned with, won’t be either. Come on, please? It’ll be like our first real date. We’ve never actually had one, for all the time we’ve been together. Please?”

You pressed your hands together as if praying and pouted a little. Blue squatted and sighed, taking the dress and pulling it over their head. Luckily, both sets of arms fit through the armholes. They looked silly and adorable in it.

 _If it’s for you…_ They signed reluctantly. _But I can’t promise I’ll enjoy it._

“If you don’t, we’ll come home and I’ll never bring it up again. I want you to be comfortable, but I also think you’d really enjoy yourself.” You took their face in your hands and gently kissed where their nose would have been, if they had one. “There’s no reason to hide, Blue. This world is as much yours as it is mine and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have everything you want from it.”

_I have you. What else could I want?_

You smiled and hugged them. “I love you too. But…” You sighed. “You’re immortal. Or, at least, you’ll live much longer than me. I want you to have something after… after I’m gone. I don’t want you to disappear again.”

They couldn’t argue with that, as much as they disliked the thought. They had been summoned to protect others before you, and had lost them all long ago. Despite never having revealed themselves to any of their prior charges, Blue always felt the losses deeply and had receded to the void after their deaths, waiting to be summoned again. Blue believed their only purpose for existing was to protect, but you were hoping to give them more than that this go round. They were more to you than a bodyguard or a companion, they were part of your soul now. You loved them.

Blue couldn’t kiss you, as they had no mouth, but they nuzzled their face to your neck before pulling back and signing, _Okay. I’ll go._

“You’ll love it. I promise.” You said, running a finger down the middle of their face. They did that strange smile that only involved their eyes.

That Saturday, late in the evening, you had made arrangements with your friend Lizzie for her to open the petting zoo for you simply so she could meet the elusive Blue you were always going on about. She admitted to you that she kind of thought you had made them up.

It was nearly midnight when you managed to get Blue, wearing the sundress, out of the front door. You promised to take all the back ways, so that they would be seen by as few people as possible. You assured them that it wasn’t necessary, that no one would scream or run from them, but they were still wary.

“Don’t look so worried, honey,” You told them, taking them by the hand and pulling them down the sidewalk in the dark just outside of the light of the streetlamps. “It’ll be fine.”

Blue allowed themselves to be lead by their hand, skulking behind you with their eyes darting to and fro.

“Lizzie is very nice, I promise. I’ve already told her all about you, so she knows what to expect,” You said.

 _I doubt that_ , Blue said.

“Blue, her husband is an onikuma and her best friend since childhood is a horned forest guardian. She’s really not going to be all that surprised by you.”

Blue shrugged and continued to follow you.

You walked up the steps of the community center and ignored the front door. All the lights were off except for the annex building where the petting zoo was kept in back. You skipped a little and pulled Blue forward, as they had stopped when they saw the light ahead.

“Come on!” You said excitedly. If they could have groaned, they would have.

Silhouetted against the open door was your friend, Lizzie, waving an arm over her head in enthusiasm.

Blue faltered in their steps, but you used your momentum to carry them forward. Blue was very strong despite the preternatural thinness of their body and extremities; if they really wanted to wrench themselves from your grasp, they absolutely could have. The fact that while reluctant, they were still complying, spoke to the level of trust they had placed in you. You hoped you weren’t betraying that trust.

“Hey, guys!” Lizzie called. Blue tensed but didn’t retreat.

“Hey, Lizzie!” You said in return, rushing up the stairs to give her a hug. You looked back and saw Blue lingering just outside of the light. “Blue, come on, she’s not going to bite you.”

“Unless you ask nicely,” Lizzie said with a grin.

Blue came forward slowly, fidgeting with their tail nervously.

“Wow, so this is Blue, huh?” Lizzie said, taking a few steps forward and putting out a hand. Blue eyed her warily, but took her hand in one of theirs and shook delicately. “I really did think you made them up, you know,” Lizzie added to me.

“Told you so,” I said.

“Yeah, you did,” Lizzie said, smiling brightly at Blue.

 _Nice to meet you_ , Blue signed after you nudged them.

“You, too,” Lizzie replied. “Well, ready to pet some animals?”

Blue nodded, the cascade of their hair shivering as they did so, and they followed you and Lizzie into the building.

Inside there was a miniature pony, a few pigs, a llama, some lambs, a goat, and a pen full of little rabbits.

“Ooh! Look, Blue! Bunnies!” You said, pulling them toward the pen. Picking one up, you set it in Blue’s upper pair of hands. Blue cradled it carefully, waiting for it to fight them or freak out, but it didn’t. It simply sat placidly in Blue’s grasp, nose twitching.

You took one of Blue’s lower hands and pulled it up, showing them how to stroke the bunny. When you let go, Blue continued on their own.

“See? Not so bad, right?”

Blue didn’t answer, just scratched the bunny behind its ear. They then knelt down and put their hand out, and the other bunnies came over and sniffed it curiously.

“Here,” Lizzie said, holding a cabbage in her hands and breaking off some of the leaves for Blue to feed to the rabbits. Blue took the leaves and held them out, and the bunnies flocked to them, much to their delight. Blue then sat cross-legged in the pen, surrounded by rabbits as if they were the bunny messiah.

“Cute dress Blue’s wearing,” Lizzie said in an undertone after you had retreated to give Blue some space.

“Yeah, it was my sister’s. I just forgot to give it back.”

“So, is Blue a boy or a girl?”

“Neither,” You replied.

Lizzie scrunched up her face in confusion. “Well, I know you call them ‘they’ and all,” She said. “But… what have they got going on… you know… _downstairs_?”

“They’re an eldritch horror borne of the void, Lizzie, they don’t need to have anything ‘ _going on downstairs_ ,’” You told her in a sniffy tone. “Besides, the only person who needs to be concerned about that is them.”

“Well, you’re together, aren’t you? Wouldn’t it concern you, too?”

“I’m a sex-repulsed asexual, Lizzie; it doesn’t make a difference to me what they may or may not have… physically. Blue is what they are and they don’t need to be anything else. It’s not complicated; they’re happy, I’m happy, and that’s what matters.”

Lizzie shrugged. “If you say so.”

Blue sprung up to their feet and trotted over to you, a small procession of bunnies following in their wake, and they smiled their eye-smile. They still had a rabbit on their shoulder.

 _I want to pet the horse now_ , they said.

It took another three trips to the petting zoo before Blue decided they felt confident enough to greet your class. You had also experimented with different articles of clothing, but Blue decided they liked the sundresses best. It allowed for freer movement, and they liked the way the fabric fell around their body. Halter top dresses worked best with their four arms.

While going to put away Blue’s new clothes, you hand touched a bag that you had stowed away in the closest nearly a year ago, the one with the bits of the bunny, Blue’s vessel.

“Whoa,” You said, holding it if for them to see. “I’d forgotten about this. Why did you rip this to pieces?”

 _To get out,_ They said. _Demons are physically trapped within the confines of their vessels. We literally have to “break” free of them. I had no reason to do so before that night, but when I couldn’t discern why you were so distressed, I freed myself to try and comfort you better, though I seemed to have had the opposite effect._

“Aw,” You said, hugging them around the middle. They’re lower set of arms wrapped around your waist while the upper pair settled on your shoulders. “It’s all good now. You’re a huge comfort to me, Blue.” You pulled up and looked at their face, frowning slightly. “I do wonder what _you_ get out of staying with me, though.”

 _I get love_ , they said with their eye-smile. _That’s all I need._ They’d rubbed their forehead against yours affectionately and you kissed their face.

The next day, Blue picked out the white sundress with the roses on it, their favorite, and shyly accompanied you to the school. They walked scrunched up at first, but when they saw other creatures, like demons, orcs, and beast-people walking among humans, they straightened out a little and seemed less stressed and more eager.

When you got to the school, you introduced Blue to your colleagues, who greeted them warmly, which was surprising to Blue.

Outside your first class, you turned to Blue.

“Ready?”

They smiled and nodded.


End file.
